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Saturday, September 24, 2011

Chia Seeds vs Basil Seeds

Most superfood are actually very normal food that we consume almost without any thoughts and become superfood only when some angmoh company decided to teach us Asian and the world how to eat them and make them; the angmoh company get rich in the process. So we have mangosteen juice costing $80 a bottle, acai berries and Chinese Wolfberries (Goji) costing an arm and leg. Then there is Chia Seeds- one of the latest superfood. Thankfully, the Chia Seeds appears to be pretty reasonably priced in comparison, about S$15 for 250 gm. And even more so, Basil Seeds have not gotten on to the spotlight of the angmoh and is still cheaply available.

Chia Seeds (image from Wikipedia)

Chia Seeds (Silvia Hispanic) originally comes from Mexico but Australia is the biggest producer in the world. Chia Seeds was popularised by Christopher McDougall in his book "Born to Run" and has become some sort of cult food for runners. Chia Seeds looks a little like sesame seeds and comes in either brown, black, white or grey. It expands when soak in liquid and is commonly added to pudding, juices and salad.

Chia Seeds are rich in Omega 3 and calcium and according to some websites, a respectable amount of antioxidants.

Then, there is the Basil Seeds (Ocimum basilicum) Basil Seeds looks almost like the Chia Seeds but is found in the Mediterranean and Asia. In this region, it is consumed mainly by the Indian and is added to juice and desserts.

It supposedly have antioxidant, antiviral and antimicrobial properties. Potentially it can be used to treat cancer. According to one website, it can aids in digestion, treats cold, cure respiratory disorder, is a stress reliever and is good for treatment of skin infection.

So there you have it. 2 super food that is cheap, easy to eat without needing any preparation and full of health benefits.

What are you waiting for? Add them when making jelly, agar agar, add to juice, tea, milk, sprinkle onto salad, bread, throw them into rice, side dishes etc.

well each has a different effect. Basil seed has less calories and can be used before a dinner or lunch to prevent you from overeating, moreover, basil seed has ability to calm your nerves and reduce stress. :)

I was looking for omega 3 replacement from fish and that is when I found out that chia seeds is rich in omega 3. Studies indicate that our diet has too much omega 6 but I have also read that studies on people who takes chia seeds regularly did not show improvment to reducing cholesterol and blood pressure. Chia seeds has high concentration of phospherous which is undesirable. So I won't be eating more chia seeds. There is not much studies about basil seeds.

I would recommend eating walnuts for omega 3 and also blueberries for its antioxidant properties.